That’s right, bad hombres. If you spent 2017 under a rock (I mean, who can blame you, really) you might have missed that somewhere between 3.3 – 4.6 million people showed up to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump and to show their support for social justice issues. A highlight of my day at the Atlanta March for Social Justice was seeing Congressman John Lewis—you know, the guy from that "burning, crime-infested" inner city and that district in "horrible shape"—speak out to a crowd of 60,000+ on that January morning.

So what’s happened in the year since we took to the streets?

Incredible Things Happened for Women in 2017

In an incredible turn of events, the number of women running for elected offices has risen at every level. Emily’s List, whose mission is to “elect pro-choice Democratic women to office,” has become one of the leading financial and educational resources for women seeking political careers “up and down the ticket.”

Ilhan Omar became the first Somali-American Muslim female legislator EVER (oh yeah, and she’s a former refugee). She proudly serves as a state legislator in District 60B of Minnesota!

Let’s Talk About the Revolutionizing Acts for Women in 2017

Even under your rock, you heard the cries of #MeToo echo throughout the nation and around the world as women declared the gut-wrenching but necessary truth: when it comes to women, sexual misconduct knows no boundaries. Empires fell under Weinstein, Spacey, Lauer, and myriad others while women and men rose from the debris, heard and finally believed. Time’s Up, dummies. We will not go back.

Blockbuster successes like Wonder Woman, Girls Trip, and Lady Bird proved that films by and about women mean business.

And my personal favorite: feminism was named as 2017’s Word of the Year by the ever-so-subtle team at Merriam-Webster. For all of the garbage this word has gone through in its lifetime, I felt proud to see it find another positive place in history. It’s a word I was scared to use for much too long, and now it is a tenet of the My Pink Docs philosophy.

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My list of 2017 events was nowhere near exhaustive but I hope it served as a reminder that when we come together as women and allies, we make history. And even if you’re not a march-er or trained elected official or million dollar movie star, please know this: your voice matters.

Whether it’s in the boardroom or at the polls, use 2018 to make your voice heard...because we’ve fought too hard for you to remain under that rock.

What do you have planned for using your voice in 2018? Let me know in the comments below!